In short: A Designated Area Migration Agreement lets an endorsed regional employer sponsor workers on age, English and salary concessions the mainstream program lacks. It does not lower government charges. The worker still pays $4,015 for a 482, and the employer still pays the $1,200 or $1,800 yearly levy.
Here is the cost of sponsoring one cook in a regional town under a DAMA, next to a mainstream 482. The visa charge is $4,015 in both cases. The nomination charge is $330 in both cases. The training levy is $1,200 or $1,800 a year in both cases. The numbers do not move. What moves is whether the cook can be sponsored at all. That is the point of a DAMA, and it is why we ask five questions rather than one.
Question one: is the occupation on your region's schedule?
Every DAMA carries a schedule of occupations for its region. Some entries match the mainstream lists. Others exist only in the agreement, which is where regional employers find roles the national program excludes. Read the exact line. Two regions can list the same title with different concessions attached, and a title that looks right may sit under a different classification code.
Question two: which concession do you actually need?
| Concession | What it changes | What it leaves alone |
|---|---|---|
| Age | A permanent nomination for a worker under 55 in most agreements, rather than under 45 | The 482 stage, which has no age limit anyway |
| English | A lower test band for listed occupations, at the stage the agreement names | The need for a valid test result |
| Salary | A negotiated discount to the $79,423 floor within the agreement's limit | Award minimums and the market rate for the role |
Ask the employer three things before you accept. Which concession is being used for me? Does it apply at the permanent stage as well as the temporary one? And does the employer hold a signed labour agreement today, or only an intention to seek one?
Question three: can you show the region needs you to recruit overseas?
Endorsement comes before anything else. The designated area representative for your region, often a chamber of commerce, examines the business, the role and the local labour market. It wants evidence that the business trades in the region, that the role is genuine, and that local recruitment was tried. Only after endorsement does Home Affairs enter into a labour agreement with the employer. The order cannot be reversed, and a nomination lodged early has nothing to attach to.
Question four: can your contracts carry the concession?
This is where a firm with a commercial practice reads a DAMA differently. A salary concession is written into the labour agreement, and it does not flow into the employment contract by itself. The contract must state a salary that meets the concession, clears the award and matches what a local would earn. It must fix the work location inside the region. If the business trades through a trust or a group structure, the nominating entity must be the employing entity. We draft or amend the contract before the nomination is lodged, so the two documents agree. Our commercial practice handles that side of the file.
Question five: what is the exit?
Most agreements offer a permanent stage through the subclass 186 in the labour agreement stream, after a qualifying period with the sponsor in the region. The worker pays $6,140 at that stage. The employer pays a $540 nomination charge and a one-off levy of $3,000 or $5,000. Where the worker will not meet the qualifying period, or the agreement offers no permanent stage for that occupation, plan the exit differently. A mainstream 186 after two years may be open if the worker meets the standard rules by then. We set that route out in the 482 to 186 two-year plan.
Which route fits your business?
Which sentence sounds like your situation?
Where the agreements are
The Northern Territory holds a territory-wide agreement. Defined regions in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales hold their own. Each renegotiates on its own cycle, and schedules change when it does. We keep the current deeds on file, and our migration practice can tell you within a consultation whether your region and role line up. Two regional pieces sit beside this one: the Far North Queensland DAMA for Cairns employers and DAMA concessions after 45.
Frequently asked questions
Does a DAMA replace standard business sponsorship?
It runs beside it. A labour agreement gives the employer sponsor status for the roles it names, so a separate $420 sponsorship application is not required for those roles. Mainstream nominations outside the agreement still need standard business sponsorship.
Can I recruit for an occupation that is not on my region's schedule?
Not under the DAMA. The schedule is the outer limit of the agreement. If the role is on the mainstream list, sponsor it under the standard 482 instead. If it is on neither, ask about a company-specific labour agreement.
What does the salary concession mean for award compliance?
Nothing changes. The concession lowers the migration salary floor of $79,423 by an agreed margin. The award and the market rate still apply in full, and the contract must clear both.
Who signs the labour agreement, the company or the director?
The employing entity signs, whether that is a company, a trust through its trustee, or a partnership. The director signs on its behalf. If your group employs staff through a different entity from the one that trades, tell us before endorsement.
Can one labour agreement cover several sites?
Yes, if every site sits inside the designated area and the agreement names them. A site outside the region cannot use the concessions even if the head office is inside it.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Speak to us about your own circumstances before acting on it.